Question 3: If it's noon in San Francisco, what time is it... Photo-5478582.76856 - Houston Chronicle

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Answer 3:Trick question, sort of. Because standard time zones converge at the
poles, there is no officially recognized time there. Scientists and
explorers tend to use the time zones of their home countries or supply
bases. The U.S.-run Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station sets its clocks to
New Zealand time because its resupply flights originate
in Christchurch.

Answer 3:
Trick question, sort of. Because standard time zones converge at the poles, there is no officially recognized time there. Scientists and explorers tend to use the time zones of their home countries ... more

Question 4:From a postal standpoint, what do the White House, Dodger Stadium and
the headquarters of Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs have in
common?

Question 4:
From a postal standpoint, what do the White House, Dodger Stadium and the headquarters of Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs have in common?

Photo: Pool, Andrew Merrill

Question 4: From a postal standpoint, what do the White House,... Photo-5653092.76856 - Houston Chronicle

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Answer 4:Each building has its very own ZIP code. There are a few others, among
them the Empire State Building in Manhattan and the Willis (Sears) Tower
in Chicago.

Answer 4:
Each building has its very own ZIP code. There are a few others, among them the Empire State Building in Manhattan and the Willis (Sears) Tower in Chicago.

Photo: Bill Peters, Denver Post Via Getty Images

Answer 4: Each building has its very own ZIP code. There are a... Photo-5497553.76856 - Houston Chronicle

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Question 5:What is the only U.S. state named for a French king?

Question 5:
What is the only U.S. state named for a French king?

Question 5: What is the only U.S. state named for a French king? Photo-5658926.76856 - Houston Chronicle

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Answer 5:Louisiana was named for King Louis XIV of France

Answer 5:
Louisiana was named for King Louis XIV of France

Photo: Pat Semansky, Getty Images

Answer 5: Louisiana was named for King Louis XIV of France Photo-1274745.76856 - Houston Chronicle

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Question 6:It's the most populous landlocked nation on Earth, the birthplace of the
coffee bean, and the only African country to defeat a European colonial
power and maintain its independence during the "Scramble for Africa" in
the late 1800s and early 1900s. Name it. less

Question 6:It's the most populous landlocked nation on Earth, the birthplace of the coffee bean, and the only African country to defeat a European colonial power and maintain its independence during the ... more

Question 9: What type of tree is most associated with Lebanon? Photo-3621184.76856 - Houston Chronicle

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Answer 9:The cedar. In ancient times, much of the country's mountains were
covered by cedar forests. They're mentioned 75 times in the Bible and
today are honored on the nation's flag. Deforestation has greatly
reduced their numbers.

Answer 9:The cedar. In ancient times, much of the country's mountains were covered by cedar forests. They're mentioned 75 times in the Bible and today are honored on the nation's flag. Deforestation has ... more

Question 10: Which is larger: the Sahara Desert or the United... Photo-4449743.76856 - Houston Chronicle

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Answer 10:The United States is slightly larger. The CIA's World Factbook lists the
United States' total land area as 3.8 million square miles. Most
sources list the Sahara as 3.6 million square miles.

Answer 10:
The United States is slightly larger. The CIA's World Factbook lists the United States' total land area as 3.8 million square miles. Most sources list the Sahara as 3.6 million square miles.

Photo: Jared Wickerham, Getty Images

Answer 10: The United States is slightly larger. The CIA's... Photo-5078172.76856 - Houston Chronicle

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Question 11:One Western state ended up with a name Congress had considered for another state but rejected as bogus. Name the two states.

Question 11:
One Western state ended up with a name Congress had considered for another state but rejected as bogus. Name the two states.

Photo: Kuosumo - Fotolia

Question 11: One Western state ended up with a name Congress had... Photo-3730120.76856 - Houston Chronicle

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Answer 11:Colorado (above) originally was going to be named Idaho. The name was presented
to Congress by a mining lobbyist named George M. Willing for a new
territory around Pikes Peak. He claimed it was a Shoshone Indian term
that meant "gem of the mountains." Congress was about to vote when it
was discovered it wasn't in fact an Indian word; Willing had just made
it up. But three years later, the name Idaho had become appended to some
gold mines to the north, and this time around a less-persnickety
Congress OKd it for a new territory. less

Answer 11:
Colorado (above) originally was going to be named Idaho. The name was presented to Congress by a mining lobbyist named George M. Willing for a new territory around Pikes Peak. He claimed it was a ... more

Question 13:If you set out to travel the full circumference of the Earth by the
shortest route, would you follow the equator or go north-south via the
poles?

Question 13:
If you set out to travel the full circumference of the Earth by the shortest route, would you follow the equator or go north-south via the poles?

Photo: Steve MacAulay, Sunset.com

Question 13: If you set out to travel the full circumference of... Photo-4936068.76856 - Houston Chronicle

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Answer 13:A circumnavigation of Earth via the poles is 26 to 42 miles shorter
(depending on which source you consult) than one via the equator. The
Earth is not a perfect sphere - technically it's an oblate spheroid, or
ellipsoid. That means it bulges at the equator, like a lot of us. less

Answer 13:
A circumnavigation of Earth via the poles is 26 to 42 miles shorter (depending on which source you consult) than one via the equator. The Earth is not a perfect sphere - technically it's an oblate ... more

Answer 19:The Target Isle is the nickname of Kahoolawe (seen off in the distance.) It's a large, dry, nearly
uninhabited island off the southwest coast of Maui. It was used as a
bombing range by the U.S. military until 1990, when it became a preserve
for native Hawaiian cultural practices. less

Answer 19:
The Target Isle is the nickname of Kahoolawe (seen off in the distance.) It's a large, dry, nearly uninhabited island off the southwest coast of Maui. It was used as a bombing range by the U.S. ... more

Question 21:What large body of water separates Kazakhstan (above) from Azerbaijan?

Question 21:
What large body of water separates Kazakhstan (above) from Azerbaijan?

Photo: NASA/Carla Cioffi, (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Question 21: What large body of water separates Kazakhstan... Photo-5488680.76856 - Houston Chronicle

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Answer 21:The Caspian Sea

Answer 21:
The Caspian Sea

Photo: DAVID MDZINARISHVILI, REUTERS

Answer 21: The Caspian Sea Photo-5663780.76856 - Houston Chronicle

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Question 22:Which of the seven continents has the lowest high point?

Question 22:
Which of the seven continents has the lowest high point?

Photo: David Wall, Getty Images/age Fotostock RM

Question 22: Which of the seven continents has the lowest high... Photo-4994973.76856 - Houston Chronicle

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Answer 22:At only 7,310 feet, the rooftop of Australia, a peak called Kosciuszko,
is the lowest continental high point by a considerable margin. But if
you consider the seventh continent to be Oceana, which also includes New
Guinea, Indonesia and New Zealand, the high point becomes a much more
respectable 16,024 feet - the summit of Puncak Jaya. Also known as
Carstensz Pyramid, it's a glacier-draped peak rising out of the jungles
of New Guinea. People on a quest to climb the "seven summits" argue
about this all the time. less

Answer 22:
At only 7,310 feet, the rooftop of Australia, a peak called Kosciuszko, is the lowest continental high point by a considerable margin. But if you consider the seventh continent to be Oceana, which ... more

Answer 22: At only 7,310 feet, the rooftop of Australia, a peak... Photo-3593672.76856 - Houston Chronicle